THE WAVE: Nazism: Real Social Justice vs. Hateful Hidden Agendas, Learning to Tell the Difference Between Unity and Division
- Balance Learning Resources
- Sep 12
- 6 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Grade Level: 8–12
Duration of video 1: 7 minutes, 28 seconds
Duration of video 2: 44 minutes
Themes:
Social psychology, Holocaust awareness, Nazism, World War II, media literacy and propaganda, social justice vs. hate movements, active citizenship, moral responsibility
Description:
This lesson begins with The Path to Nazi Genocide, a short introductory documentary that examines how the Nazis systematically excluded Jews from society and justified escalating violence. Students are given 10 criteria with which to measure a social movement in order to think critically about how ideology and propaganda can shape collective behavior. The second part of the lesson features The Wave, a dramatization of a real 1967 high school experiment in California that demonstrates how easily people can be drawn into authoritarian group behavior. Together, these films prompt reflection on the roots, risks, and red flags of conformity and extremism - even within movements that claim to promote social justice or the betterment of society.
Video 1: The Path to Nazi Genocide: Chapter 3 / 4 From Citizens to Outcasts, 1933-1938 (7:28)
Video 2: The Wave (44:00)
Lesson Plan:
🎯 OBJECTIVES (SWBAT):
With video 1, students will:
Analyze how the Nazi regime used gradual tactics to dehumanize and exclude Jews.
With video 2, students will:
Evaluate the impact of conformity and groupthink through The Wave experiment.
Learn to assess social or political movements using critical thinking criteria.
Apply this framework to real-world examples of modern antisemitism.
Present constructive solutions for building safe, inclusive school communities.
🧰 MATERIALS:
DAY 1: INTRODUCTION + HISTORICAL CONTEXT
1. Hook Discussion (10 min)
Write on the board:
“Real Justice vs. Hidden Agendas: Learning to tell the difference between unity and division.”
Ask students:
What’s the difference between a movement that fights for justice and one that spreads hate?
Why is it hard to tell sometimes?
2. Say:
“We are going to watch a film entitled “From Citizens to Outcasts” that describes how the Nazis claimed to be a social justice movement (acting for the betterment of society) but their behavior caused hatred, division, violence, and murder of 12 million people - 6 million of them were Jewish and approximately 6 million of them from other backgrounds (ex: Soviet POW’s, ethnic Poles, Roma, people with physical disabilities, political opponents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, LGBTQIA+ people, and Black people) [1].
3. Question to ask before the film:
Say: “As you watch the film, take notes about the laws, propaganda, and violence the Nazis used to dehumanize the Jews.”
4. Video & Discussion: “From Citizens to Outcasts” (30–35 min)
5. Small Group Discussion (15–20 min)
Distribute Student Worksheet 1: 10 Crucial Questions to Analyze a Movement (Printed for each student or digital copy).
In groups or pairs, students answer the 10 criteria using Nazi Germany as a case study.
6. Whole Class Debrief (10 min)
Ask students:
What laws, propaganda, and violence did the Nazis use to dehumanize the Jews?
Go over Student Worksheet 1: 10 Crucial Questions to Analyze a Movement (Printed for each student or digital copy).
Ask:
What red flags emerged in Nazi policy and propaganda?
Why was it effective and manipulative to use language of social justice (e.g., “purifying,” “cleansing,” “betterment of society”) to justify injustice?
Just because people call a movement “social justice,” does it mean that it is really just? Explain.
DAY 2: THE WAVE - SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
1. Introduction to The Wave Film (10 min)
Say:
“When students study the Holocaust, they often say ‘we would never fall for that.’ In 1967, a teacher in Palo Alto ran an experiment to test that idea.”
Hand out:
Student Worksheet 1: 10 Crucial Questions to Analyze a Movement (Printed for each student or digital copy).
Say:
I want you to analyze the social movement in this movie according to the 10 criteria in your worksheet. Please take notes on your worksheet while watching the movie.
2. Watch The Wave (44 min)
Video 2: The Wave (44:00)
[Show the full 44-minute movie or parts over two days or during a longer class period.]
DAY 3: ANALYZE THE WAVE
1. Small Group Worksheet Discussion (20–25 min)
In small groups, students use their notes and discuss answers to the 10 questions in Student Worksheet 1: 10 Crucial Questions to Analyze a Movement (Printed for each student or digital copy).
2. Whole Class Discussion (15–20 min)
Guiding Questions:
Did The Wave show signs of a social justice movement or a hate movement?
What were the turning points when students could have stopped it?
What made The Wave spread so quickly?
Why didn’t people speak up earlier?
How does this relate to real-world movements today?
DAY 4: GROUP PROJECT - APPLYING THE FRAMEWORK
1. Research and Analysis (Group Work – 1 class period)
Divide students into small groups.
Give each group one of the articles (found at the end of this lesson) about incidents of hate and violence from groups that claim to advocate for social justice.
In groups, students will analyze their article using Student Worksheet 1: 10 Crucial Questions to Analyze a Movement.
Ask students to analyze:
“How does this movement, protest, or incident measure up to the 10 criteria?”
Discuss:
“How do these ‘red flags’ demonstrate that this movement is not about ‘social justice’?”
“What could schools, students, and communities do to stop this kind of exclusion or hate?”
2. Presentations (1 class period)
Each group presents:
Summary of the incident.
Which of the 10 red flags did it meet?
What truth does this reveal about this ‘social justice’ movement?
How is this similar to the fake ‘social justice’ tactics of Nazi Germany described in the movies in this lesson?
Suggestions for how to make their community more inclusive.
📰 Four News Articles for Student Analysis
📊 After the groups share, reconvene to facilitate a class discussion:
Where did students see overlaps in these case studies with Nazi-era or The Wave dynamics?
How do these movements use justice language or emotional manipulation?
What proactive steps can schools and individuals take to ensure inclusion and civil discourse?
Assessment:
Participation in discussions
Accuracy and depth of answers on Student Worksheet 1: 10 Crucial Questions to Analyze a Movement
Group presentation clarity and thoughtfulness
Reflection writing (optional extension)
Extension/Homework (Optional):
Write a 1-page reflection:
“Why is it important to ask hard questions about social movements — even ones that seem okay at first?”
“How can I be someone who brings unity without falling for division disguised as justice?”
Further Study: Analyzing Other Historical Movements:
Teach the following lessons about other historical movements, where students will analyze each movement using the 10 criteria:
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